Coffee is so much a part of our culture that it\u2019s easy to forget how complex it can be to brew a consistently good cup. \u201cCoffee, unfortunately is very, very easy to screw up at home. It\u2019s one of those tricky things,\u201d said Heather Perry, chief executive officer of the rapidly growing Klatch Coffee chain. Specialty Coffee Association of America proclaimed Perry the nation\u2019s best barista in 2007, after a Long Beach competition. She went on to the World Barista Championship in Tokyo, where she came in second.<\/p>\n
Perry has mastered the complexities of coffee. She and her staff share their knowledge in three-hour, $150 classes at Klatch\u2019s headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga. Topics include brewing methods, using an espresso machine and the art of the latte. But what if you\u2019re not ready for that? \u201cAs complicated as coffee is, it\u2019s pretty simple to improve most people\u2019s coffee program at home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
There are two main brewing methods. Drip is when hot water filters through coffee grounds. Home brewing machines make eight to 12 cups of coffee, usually taking several minutes. Espresso is when hot water is forced through coffee in a special machine. Home espresso machines make one or two shots at a time in less than a minute.
\nEspresso shots from Klatch Coffee are pulled at company\u2019s headquarters and roasting facility in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun\/SCNG)
\nIf you have baristas to grind a bag of coffee for you, they may ask what kind of machine you need it for. Espresso is more finely ground than drip coffee, and an espresso shot is often stronger and more complex than a cup of drip coffee.
\nKlatch Coffee ground beans\u2014on the left, ground for pour-overs, and on the right, ground for espresso\u2014are seen at the company\u2019s headquarters and roasting facility in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
If you go to a big box store this holiday season, you may see as many Keurig machines on its shelves as brewers. Keurig machines brew cups of coffee from K-cups, single-use containers filled with pre-ground coffee. Nespresso is a similar product with pods instead of K-cups. Nespresso is more like espresso, and Keurig is more like drip coffee, according to a Business Insider article. Both products offer convenience, but Perry pointed out their coffees are very expensive and customers have no control over the outcome.
\nFresh coffee beans await roasting at Klatch Coffee\u2019s headquarters and roasting facility in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
Perry has three pieces of equipment on her kitchen counter at home: a brewer, an espresso machine and a coffee grinder. \u201cIf you are doing home espresso, you need to have a grinder. It is life-changing,\u201d said Perry. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be a $500 purchase. You can get a great grinder for $100.\u201d Klatch is big on whole beans and fresh grinding. \u201cThink of grinding your coffee like peeling a banana. That oxidation that occurs, the same exact thing happens with coffee,\u201d Perry said. Air causes coffee beans to lose freshness, people should only grind as much as they need and reseal the bag or put the coffee in an airtight container away from light and heat.<\/p>\n
At Klatch\u2019s headquarters, Perry demonstrated an easy way to test the freshness of your coffee. She put some grounds in a bowl and then poured water over them from a pot with a long, narrow spout. She said you can do the same thing in your coffee brewer\u2019s filter basket.
\nFresh coffee beans float to the top, demonstrating their quality, at Klatch Coffee\u2019s headquarters and roasting facility in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun\/SCNG)
\n\u201cAs soon as the water hits the coffee, you should see a bloom happen. See how it\u2019s bubbling up? That\u2019s what you want your coffee to do. If we were using stale coffee, you would see your coffee grounds would not be lifted up. They\u2019d just be sitting at the bottom.\u201d \u201cNinety percent of the coffee experience is the aromatics. So having fresh coffee dramatically changes your experience,\u201d she said. \u201cCoffee gets one-noted as it ages. What we want about coffee is all the complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way that you brew coffee is called extraction,\u201d said Perry. \u201cWe\u2019re essentially turning water brown. So the two big terms that we\u2019ll use are overextraction and underextraction.\u201d Overextraction happens when people don\u2019t use enough coffee and have a low ratio of coffee to water. \u201cOverextracted is all the way in the back of the tongue, one-note and bitter,\u201d said Perry. \u201cThe majority of the coffee you\u2019re going to taste out there is overextracted.\u201d Generic coffee makers don\u2019t hold enough coffee, she said. \u201cUse more coffee is what I almost always tell people.\u201d Instead of brewing a 12-cup pot, brew an eight-cup pot and fill up your coffee basket. She said a good rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 to 8 ounces of water. \u201cMake sure you\u2019re using water you would drink. Coffee is 98% water,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Between the grounds, the water and the equipment, there are a lot of variables to master when you get serious about brewing coffee. \u201cIt feels like there\u2019s a lot that\u2019s out to get you,\u201d Perry said. \u201cThat\u2019s why if you follow a few basic rules, it sets you up for success.\u201d Luis Miranda, director of coffee culture, said Klatch cafes dial in their espresso machines \u2014 that means make adjustments to their settings \u2014 six to eight times a day and are constantly pulling shots to get optimal results. He compared brewing coffee to driving a car. \u201cYou have to learn a lot of things to drive a car. What are the symbols on the road? How much brake do you do? How much should I turn? At the start, it\u2019s not going very good. You\u2019re in the high school parking lot with your dad and you\u2019re not having a good time. But give it six months and you\u2019re perfectly fine. You don\u2019t even think about it anymore. Don\u2019t be afraid to fail, Perry said. \u201cIt\u2019s like the first pancake. Toss the first pot. Try it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the right equipment, coffee, and techniques, you can brew a consistently good cup of coffee for your holiday guests. Remember to use fresh coffee beans, grind them just before brewing, and use the right water temperature and ratio of coffee to water. Don\u2019t be afraid to experiment and try new things \u2013 and don\u2019t be discouraged if it takes a few tries to get it just right.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the best way to store coffee beans?
\nA: Coffee beans should be stored in an airtight container away from light and heat.
\nQ: How often should I clean my coffee equipment?
\nA: You should clean your coffee equipment regularly to prevent old coffee oils from building up and affecting the taste of your coffee.
\nQ: What is the difference between espresso and drip coffee?
\nA: Espresso is a stronger, more concentrated coffee made by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee beans, while drip coffee is made by dripping hot water through coarser grounds.
\nQ: How much coffee should I use for each cup?
\nA: A good rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 to 8 ounces of water.
\nQ: What is the best way to grind my coffee beans?
\nA: The best way to grind your coffee beans is just before brewing, using a burr grinder or a roller grinder.
\nFor more information, visit klatchcoffee.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Brewing Coffee for Holiday Guests: Learn from a Champion Barista Coffee is so much a part of our culture that it\u2019s easy to forget how complex it can be to brew a consistently good cup. \u201cCoffee, unfortunately is very, very easy to screw up at home. It\u2019s one of those tricky things,\u201d said Heather Perry, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":23160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23158","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IDB-L-KLATCH-1130-16.jpg?w=1024&h=682&w=1024&resize=1024,682&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23158"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23158"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23161,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23158\/revisions\/23161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}